Studio Wanted More Flashbacks and Earth Scenes in ‘Gravity’

Studio Wanted More Flashbacks and Earth Scenes in ‘Gravity’
Kevin Jagernauth - The Playlist

Of the many elements of the film that add to sheer and palpable panic facing astronaut Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) as she floats in space is a stretch of time when she’s utterly alone, unable to make contact with Mission Control (voiced by Ed Harris). But at first, the studio suggested that team in Houston should get more face time. “...there are a lot of ideas. People start suggesting other stuff. ‘You need to cut to Houston, and see how the rescue mission goes,’ ”

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And that’s not all. Part of the emotional journey of “Gravity” rests on Stone’s backstory, which includes a daughter…

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‘Catching Fire’ — Less Shaky Cam More Love Triangle

‘Catching Fire’ — Less Shaky Cam More Love Triangle
Adam Chitwood - Colider.com

Speaking with New York Magazine (viaThe Playlist), Francis Lawrence addressed his take on the material, noting that he has ditched Ross’ camera style:

No! [Laughs.] No shaky cam. I think a lot of people will be happy to hear that.

He’s not kidding there. Ross’ decision to go with the ultra shaky shake ‘em up cam was absolutely the worst aspect about the first film. Shaky cam is not a replacement for good choreography. Garry Ross, and others, please take note of this fact before making more films. Thank you.

Lawrence also added that he has decided to focus more on the love story…

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Gravity — Review

4.5 of 5 stars
Gravity

Of this you can be certain: I have no plans to ever, EVER go to space. While I have always been very fascinated by space, I have also always feared it a lot. Well, I mean it didn’t keep me up too much at night because I’m down here on this nice comfortable planet that has a nice comfortable atmosphere for me to live in. That’s the way I like it thank you very much. But I have always thought in the back of my head that, no, I would not like to ever visit space thank you. All those contraptions and air and whatnot to keep you alive? That all looks so flimsy and fragile compared to the vastness…

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Lucas Spent One Year Developing ‘Star Wars VII’

Lucas Spent One Year Developing ‘Star Wars VII’
Sandy Schaefer - ScreenRant

Jett Lucas informed Flicks and the City (via Mashable) that his father was “ready to let [Star Wars] go and let it grow,” but that he spent a year mapping out the franchise’s future before doing so:

“He was very torn on the matter,” Jett Lucas told YouTube channel Flicks and the City in an interview posted Sunday, revealing that his dad had started researching and writing the new Star Wars movies about a year before the Disney sale — and told him casually over a dinnertime phone call. “He’s happiest when he’s writing and doing something with his time.” What the senior Lucas has done is set…

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‘Ender’s Game’ Clip: Lead the Dragon Army

‘Ender’s Game’ Clip: Lead the Dragon Army

Oh hey, he’s bad at following orders and stuff, so let’s give him his own army! Whatever.

But really, I’m sure there’s more context here that I need. The initial idea just seems really lame. Like, “He’s a rebel, he’ll be a good one to lead our army!” I don’t know, seems weird to me.

But in this clip, that’s exactly what Harrison Ford does. Asa Butterfield is having a hard time following his comander’s orders, so Ford offers him his own army. Makes perfect sense, right?

Ender’s Game debuts in theaters on November 1st.

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Buzz Aldrin “Weigh” In On ‘Gravity’

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Buzz Aldrin “Weigh” In On ‘Gravity’

Sorry for the terrible joke in the headline. I have a weakness for lame jokes and it seems to be getting stronger as the years go by…

Anyway, as you all may know if you read my box office report, or follow me on Twitter. I enjoyed Gravity very much. And I’m not the only one. At this point it sort of seems like I’m jumping on the band wagon as I didn’t get to see the film until last night and everyone has already sung its praises. And even the critics have nothing but good things to say about this film.

Stepping up to sing the praises was also Buzz Aldrin. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter,…

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Gravity Does Not Seem To Be Affected By ‘Gravity’ — Box Office Report

Gravity Does Not Seem To Be Affected By ‘Gravity’ — Box Office Report

Yeah, I’m a day later than normal getting this out. I had to do some traveling over the weekend, and I got back late, I was exhausted, I woke up late on Monday, my dog ate my home work… oops, wrong excuse bag (seems like I retired that one long ago, don’t know how that one came up).

I’ve been thinking about moving the box office report to Tuesday anyway since very often, Box Office Mojo does not report actuals until Monday afternoon. Currently, for me, Monday afternoon is unworkable for me.

Well in any event, Gravity had no problem rising well above the rest of the offerings at the box…

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‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy Has Cost $561 Million To Date

‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy Has Cost $561 Million To Date
Germain Lussier - /Film

The original trilogy reportedly cost $281 million to make. The Hobbit trilogy has cost $561 million… so far. That’s not including post-production on the third film or reshoots this past summer to extend the series into a trilogy.

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And while the massive budgets for these movies might sound excessive, the first movie alone more than covered the cost. (Maybe not when you factor in marketing, but it’s surely close.) And there’re still two more movies to come. The Hobbit will turn a profit. So even if The Hobbit films don’t reach the critical heights of the original trilogy, Jackson’s new…

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‘Agents of SHIELD’ Bigger Gains in Time Shifted Viewing

‘Agents of SHIELD’ Bigger Gains in Time Shifted Viewing
Sara Bibel - TV By The Numbers

Based on Live + 3 Day data for the 2nd episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the new ABC drama saw significantly bigger TV playback gains than for its premiere telecast.  The show surged 51% to 4.92 Adult 18-49 rating (vs. a 3.26 rating in L+SD), up from a 38% increase for its debut telecast.   Additionally, the second episode of the show built 39% in L+3 to deliver 12.07 million Total Viewers (vs. 8.66 million viewers in L+SD), up from a 31% increase for its premiere.

I remain completely unsurprised. This is the future of TV. In fact I couldn’t be happier with this. I think (hope)…

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‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ Trailer

‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ Trailer

Remember how Jack Ryan is a CIA analyst who sometimes accidentally gets thrust into action-y situations? Yeah, well, throw that concept away and put it out of your mind. In this version, it looks like Jack Ryan is being turned into some sort of secret agent. Also, the modest action that Jack Ryan gets into, where the plot and external influences provide the action and the drama… yeah… kiss that good bye as well. It looks like we’re turning Jack Ryan into a full blown action star. I was afraid of this. Looks like I am not going to enjoy this all that much.

Sigh.